Shoaib Malik told to remedy his action

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan allrounder, has been advised against bowling until he undergoes remedial action on his offbreak and doosra deliveries. Professor Bruce Elliott, a biomechanics specialist, conducted tests on Malik, and in his report to the Pakistan board recommended the measures, stating that both his offbreak and doosra had elbow-extension levels above the ICC's current and proposed levels of acceptability. Malik hasn't bowled in the second Test against Australia which started on Sunday at Melbourne.

Malik, 22, who has played eight Tests and 85 one-dayers, was reported for a suspect action by Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel during the Paktel Cup final against Sri Lanka at Lahore in October. It was second time in his career - the first was in 2002 - that he had been reported. Since then he has undergone extensive tests under the supervision of bowling and biomechanics experts at the University of Western Australia in Perth.

According to The News, a Pakistan-based newspaper, Elliott's report said: "It is recommended that Shoaib Malik undergoes a programme of remediation, prior to being subjected to a further series of tests to determine his eligibility to bowl."

Abbas Zaidi, the director of the Pakistan board, termed this as a "setback", as the PCB hadn't thought it was a major problem. Zaidi added that the PCB would quickly take steps to remove any problems in his action before sending him for further tests in Perth. "We have shown the University's report to our group of bowling advisers, who have studied it, and the test pictures, thoroughly. They have also concluded Malik needs to undergo remedial work on his bowling action before he can bowl again."

The PCB now has two weeks before it sends a report on Malik's action to the ICC. He can continue to play during this period, but if he is reported again, after undergoing remedial work on his action, he would face a suspension for up to a year.